Archaeus

Archaeus's History

Bloodline

After Maloker became the Old One creator of the first vampire, these creatures were made when part of a demon's essence entered their body and animated them. Archaeus was a demon lord who developed his own bloodline of vampires, as he was considered cunning, given to strategy and planning.

Archaeus' bloodline eventually reached the siring of the Master and subsequent vampires, such as the notorious Darla, Angel, Drusilla, and Spike. As such, they retained some portion of Archaeus' essence in themselves, allowing him to influence that part of him within them.

San Francisco

Archaeus emerged from his hell following the restoration of magic and began hunting in San Francisco, causing Spike to experience dreams of his murders. Through Willow's magic, Buffy was able to track Archaeus by astral projecting into Spike's dreamspace and following the link between him and the killer.

Alerted by the danger and his invulnerability, Spike contacted Angel,[6] who had also experienced similar dreams. Archaeus tried to open a portal in San Francisco, but this effort was prevented by the Scooby Gang. With the destruction of the Restless Door, Archaeus vanished.

Magic Town

Meanwhile, Drusilla also experienced these dreams manifested by Archaeus, happy to be reunited and working with her ancestor. Faith Lehane and Winifred Burkle defeated her first vampire army that Drusilla made for Archaeus in London, until the demon returned to join Drusilla. His new plan implied to use Magic Town and the magic leader Nadira for some purpose, Drusilla kidnapped the young Slayer and presented her to the old demon.[10] He tried to make a deal with her, because of her aptitude with the magic, he proposed that she'd always be the leader of Magic Town and be his lieutenant. Nadira refused and tried to kill him, but she was unsuccessful. The demon locked her in a prison and decided to use her as bait for Angel.

Although his attempt to trap Angel failed, Archaeus set up a more elaborate plan by providing an ancient artifact as a body to focus and contain the spirit of Magic Town. He subsequently presented himself as a reasonable figure open to dialogue, but Angel and his allies attacked Archaeus to stop the entity from going with him. The demon then revealed the army Drusilla had formed with assorted vampires, intending to reinforce his "good intentions" with a show of strength.

Archaeus' battle was undermined when Angel's own allies gathered to help him. The sight of Angel's friends coming despite the danger, while Archaeus's "family" withdrew when faced with a threat, was something that helped the Magic Town's spirit recognize which of the two parties was genuinely motivated by good intentions. Once most of Archaeus's minions had been dealt with, the spirit sealed Archaeus in the statue — where he would be trapped for a thousand years.